Dedicated on October 6, 1946, Memorial Hall and the adjoining Memorial Pool were substantial gestures of remembrance at McGill University. The project was approved by the Board of Governors on October 23, 1944. With its marble and terrazzo finishes, bronze doors, stained glass windows, and commemorative artwork and plaques, the Hall became the central point of the McGill community’s collective memory of the First and Second World Wars.
Memorial Hall was officially opened by the Governor General of Canada on November 26, 1950. The interior was clad in black marble from Normandy and travertine from the Monte Cassino quarry in Italy. Major campaigns of both wars were inscribed on the wall nearest the Honour Roll, and the Hall was lit with indirect lighting to allow emphasis of the stained glass windows. A war memorial window (1950) by Charles William Kelsey depicts St. Michael and the dragon. The opening was attended by 1,200 family relatives and friends of the people listed in the Roll.
A number of memorial plaques, battalion flags and a Roll of Honour containing the names of McGill fatalities of both World Wars in a single book were moved into the Hall. The illuminated Book of Remembrance records the names of the nearly 700 students, staff and faculty who lost their lives in both World Wars. Each name is handwritten in calligraphy and the parchment pages are illuminated with vibrant reds, blues or greens, as well as silver and gold. The Book is bound in red leather with the McGill University emblem emblazoned with silver and gold on the cover. The Book was first unveiled during the official opening of Memorial Hall on November 26, 1950. In February 2014, the Book of Remembrance was removed from its original casing in Memorial Hall and was restored and digitized. A replica of the Book was made and housed in a special display case in the pedway connecting the McLennan and Redpath Library Buildings. A digitized version is on the McGill Remembers website, and the original is located in the Rare Books and Special Collections, and Archives Reading Room on the fourth floor of the McLennan Library Building.
In addition the painting of the Quebec City conference, the Unknown Soldier portrait and other elements were added.
From that point on, the Memorial Hall became the focal point of remembrance activities. Similarly, a memorial archway in the Raymond Building at Macdonald Campus was constructed, and a funds left over from the project were designated for the maintenance of the Hall and Pool as well as for an annual lecture at Macdonald. The last known McGill remembrance event was held at the Hall in the mid 1980s, and the concept of a Remembrance Day function at McGill was lost until resumed by McGill students in 1994.
New memorials to the Hall, honour the McGill women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving as battlefield nurses, as well as the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives outside the two World Wars.
